ACT just released the practice test for the 2015-16 year. The practice test is based on the June 2014 Official ACT test, Form 72C. However, not all questions are identical. For example, in the math section of the practice test, only 36 of the questionsare present in the June 2014 ACT test. Here is the link:
Hi! Does anyone notice any significant differences? I just hope it’s not harder!
English: seems pretty much the same to me. I don’t see any new type of question.
Math: did anything change? I’m not sure.
Reading: Seems the same. Standard 4 passages, but I’ve never seen the boxes that say “the following questions are for Passage A, following questions are for Passage B, following Qs are about both” Am I right?
Science: Whoa! 6 Passages instead of 7! I guess it will be 6 for this year! I hope that allows me to finish earlier because I keep running out of time T_T
Writing: Like the ACT announced, writing changed. Taking one out of three given sides to an issue then supporting it.
Please let me know if you see any major changes or if you think it’s harder (I reallllllly hope not) because the things I listed above are the only changes I notice from a quick glance.
The two things I noticed on the math section is the introduction of Venn diagram type of problems(Q#55) and probability questions on coin tosses(Q#59). I haven’t seen these topics tested in the past, at least not based on my memory of all the ACT tests. So it is entirely possible that ACT is broadening the range of topics tested on the harder end of math to be able to separate students at the top. This is inevitable as more of the high scorers from the SAT test taker population moves to ACT.
@mmk2015
In the math section of the practice test, 24 out of the 60 questions are not from June 2014 72C test. Question #1, 3, 5, 9, 12, 18, 21, 22, 26, 29, 32, 36, 37, 38, 42, 46, 47, 59, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59 are from some other sources. I have been told that some are from June 2001 and June 2004 ACT tests.
@SATQuantum What form number is the June 2001 test?
In general, most of the math questions you highlighted are from past tests, though not 1 test in particular. For example, both the probability and Venn questions are recycled from very old tests. If they are drawing upon such old questions, I’m not sure what the takeaway is.
On the past few ACTs, for example, some of the hard questions concerned asymptotes and polar coordinates, but those topics did not appear on the sample, and have nothing to do with combinations, probability, statistics, Venn Diagrams. In fact, I do not believe that any of the past few tests contained hard questions on those topics. On the other hand, asymptotes and polar coordinates are so seldom tested.
It is entirely possible they will change the direction of the math in the fall, but the past few ACTs do not give such an indication of that direction.
Thanks for your comment. I take back my assertion, I am reading too much in the questions present in the practice test. I have no idea what their motivation is for changing the math questions in the practice test compared to the June 2014 ACT.
I haven’t exhaustively looked for the source of the other 24 questions, but found several in the ACT Sample Test Booklet 0556B (Form 56B). For example, Q56 in the Form 56B is Q53 in the 2015-2016 Practice Test. There are several others in Form 56B that are also present in the 2015-16 practice test. As for the June 2001, I don’t know the form number, it was one of my colleagues who pointed out the overlap.
@jjmama
ACT does not offer answer explanations to this practice test. I have created video explanations for just the math section of this ACT test, and can be found at this link: http://www.quantumactprep.com/releasedacttests/